Written by James Gunn, based on the comic
books by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

Directed by James Gunn.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

Sequels are tough, but sometimes even more difficult if you’re
trying to fit them into a wider universe. Such is the case for Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2, the next chapter in the saga of reformed criminals-turned
heroes, following up the smash 2014 hit.

Chris Pratt is back as Peter “Star Lord” Quill, the man
taken from Earth and raised by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker), a disgraced
former member of the “Ravagers” (space pirate guild), led by Stakar Ogor (Sylvester Stallone). After protecting Ayesha
(Elszabeth Debecki) and her “master race” planet from an inter-dimensional
monster that tries to steal their powerful batteries, the Guardians are given the
wanted criminal Nebula (Karen Gillan) as payment. Nebula is a daughter of
Thanos and is also sister to Guardian Gamora (Zoe Saldana). As the Guardians,
including Star Lord, Gamora, Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley
Cooper) and the tiny Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) leave the Sovereign planet,
they are instantly pursued by Ayesha, since Rocket couldn’t help himself, stealing some of their batteries. The Guardians are saved in battle by
Ego (Kurt Russell), who happens to be Quill’s biological dad, and possesses certain
god-like powers. The Guardians’ ship crashes on a remote planet and Ego arrives
to take Quill, Gamora, and Drax with him to visit his Utopian planet nearby as
Rocket, Groot and the captive Nebula stay behind to fix the ship. Yondu and his
men eventually arrive at the crash site and take Rocket and Groot into custody.
They also hold a mutiny on Yondu and begin to kill off men faithful to him,
with the help of Nebula. Meanwhile, Quill and his dad are bonding, despite a
few warnings that Ego may not be all he’s cracked up to be, thanks to warnings
from his sensory telepathic sidekick Mantis (Pom Klementieff). As Gamora and
Drax realize what’s happening, Rocket and Yondu forma friendship and escape the
mutiny, reaching Ego’s planet just in time to help battle against a hidden
catastrophe there, alongside the rest of the Guardians. Quill must also deal
with a few “daddy” issues.

GOTG-V.2 is an incredible sequel, taking all the main
characters’ funny quirks and enhancing them with depth and even more humor. The
action is intense, set to the 1970s pop music soundtrack. The returning cast’s
chemistry shines through again, with even more character development, aided by
another clever script from Writer/Director James Gunn. Dave Bautista and the CG
Baby Groot continue to steal most scenes, as Chris Pratt continues to anchor
the ensemble together with his charm and whit.

In short, GOTG-V.2 may be the most fun you have in a
movie this year.

Go out and see it for laughs, but stick around for the additional
storyline that is heading in the direction of a major Guardians/Avengers/Marvel
super-showdown with Thanos.